Good previews of the reconstructed version of "La Bayadère", which the Kirov will bring to London:

Maryinsky magic Having reclaimed its Tsarist name of Maryinsky, the Kirov Ballet, here for the summer, has now lovingly returned La Bayadère to its pre-Revolution glory, writes Nadine Meisner for The Times:

It must be summer, because the fabulous Kirov Ballet is back again - or, rather, the Maryinsky Ballet, even if the presenters, terrified of scaring off audiences with unfamiliarity, are clinging to the Soviet name. Indeed, the Maryinsky has not only reclaimed its Tsarist name, but is continuing to rediscover Russia's balletic history.

It brings to London the recent acquisitions of Nijinsky's legendary The Rite of Spring, and his sister Nijinska's overwhelming Les Noces, both created for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, yet intensely right for the Maryinsky in their Russianness.

New steps for old As the Kirov comes to London, our critic finds a company whose future rests with its past. By Debra Caine for The Times:

ONE DOESN’T FREELY ASCRIBE pre-eminence to a single ballet company, but in the case of the Kirov it’s hard not to. Practically everything we know and love about 19th-century classical ballet comes from the Kirov. This is where The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker were born, where enduring stagings of Swan Lake, Coppélia and Giselle were premiered.

It was a pleasure to speak at length with former Kirov dancer and now ballet producer Sergei Vikharev about the new production of “ La Bayadère ” that the company is bringing to London at the end of this month. This version is based upon the notation made by Nikolai Sergeyev after the revival of the ballet in 1900, in what was to be the final version supervised by Marius Petipa. Vikharev has stripped away almost all the later choreographic additions to this ballet in an attempt to remain true to the original.

Premodern Splendor In a Vision of India By ANNA KISSELGOFF for The New York Times

Lincoln Center Festival 2002, devoted in principle to the old as well as the new, opened its three-week season on Monday night with an emblematic production, the Kirov Ballet's very recent reconstruction of ''La Bayadère,'' choreographed in 1877 by Marius Petipa.

Like the new-old version of ''The Sleeping Beauty'' that the Russian company presented here in 1999, this staging by Sergei Vikharev is an attempt to restore the spirit, choreography and context of an early production of a 19th-century classic.

I just noticed something rather odd about the souvenir program for the Kirov at ROH: in the "La Bayadere" section, they use the picture we have here at the top of this forum, except it is repeated twice across the bottom of the program's two-page span. In between, the photo has been "blended," so if you aren't paying attention, it looks like there are a whole bunch of shades in a massive photograph. In reality, its the same picture twice, arranged in such a way to trick you into thinking there are a lot more shades than there really are. I only noticed this because the second-to-the-last shade on the right had side has a somewhat odd expression on her face; then I noticed it was repeated twice - as was the rest of the corps de ballet. Now, I know this makes the layout of the souvenir program look a little better by putting the shades all across the bottom of it, and I know its just a souvenir program. But I thought it was odd for them "fool" the viewer into thinking the Kirov corps is much bigger than it actually is in the original photograph...anyone else notice this?

Good spot art! I will take the matter up with a local Trading Standards Officer under the Trades Descriptions Act. Phoenix Dance were recently reprimanded for not providing nude dancers on stage, as shown in the pre-performance publicity.

Thus not getting 48 Shades is worth a complaint as well. Compansation of free tickets for life for the Kirov would be fair and reasonable. I might even let you have one art....maybe.

Just to say that I went to yesterdays rehearsal and although I won't comment on a "work in progress", I have to say that after seeing this entirely "new" production for the first time, I consider it truly magnificent.

The latest casting news as at 1st August, for the remainder of the performances of "La Bayadere" (subject to change). There are a lot of names, but we have spaced it out so that you don't run the risk of eye strain.

Choreography revived by Sergei Vikharev Production based on the Stepanov notations in the Sergeyev Collection of the Harvard Theater Collection Sets reproduced by Mikhail Shishliannikov from original set designs in the collections of the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Musical Arts and the Russian State Historical Archive Assistant set designers Boris Kaminsky and Andrei Sevbo Costumes reproduced by Tatiana Noginova from original sketches in the collection of the St. Petersburg State Theatre Library Lighting designer Mikhail Shishliannikov Musical preparation Ludmilla Sveshnikova Archival rehearsal and co-ordination Pavel Gershenzon

La Bayadère, based on an Indian legend, is one of the treasures of the Russian ballet canon. Created in 1877 and refined in 1900, it is the oldest surviving full-length work by Marius Petipa, who was responsible for Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. In Nikiya, the temple maiden, and Princess Gamzatti, who compete for the love of the warrior Solor, he created two of the great ballerina roles.

Time and the revolution, however, saw the work diminish in scale. Like that of Swan Lake, its mystical ending was considered un-Soviet, and many of its dances and effects were cut. From 1947, a reworked text by the dancer-choreographer Vakhtang Chabukiani became standard.

THE Kirov Ballet’s restaging of the original Sleeping Beauty was such a hit with London audiences several years ago that it was inevitable the Russians would be back with another reconstruction. As ballet lovers, we are a nation with a taste for history so the chances are that we would welcome a re-creation of the 1900 St Petersburg staging of La Bayadère, all four acts — and four hours — of it.

Thanks to regular visits by the Kirov, and Natalia Makarova’s production at Covent Garden (where it opens the Royal Ballet season in October), Petipa’s Indian melodrama of jealousy and revenge is as familiar as an old friend. But what we haven’t seen before is the unexpurgated Bayadère.

This 'new' old production of 'La Bayadere' is brilliant show. Although there is less dancing involved in the beginning judging by today's standards the added mime makes understanding the story a breeze. In my opinion the reconstructed sets and costumes blend very well into the whole concept and work much better for me than the ones in 'Sleeping Beauty' did. And then there are of course the marvelous dancers. I have to confess last night the corps de ballet almost had me in tears after the entrance of the Shades. At the end of this act they got the first curtain call and were deservedly greeted by a loud cheer when the curtain went up. I will post more comments later.

Odile - tell me more about the Shades - I have a wonderful photograph of the Shades taken by a Russian photographer who had been standing in the wings. It's not a recent photo - it dates back about 6 or 7 years. What strikes me about the photo is how in unison the dancers are - they must really have been in unison to appear so in a snapshot.

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